President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump visited King Charles III at Windsor Castle on the first full day of their state visit in England Tuesday.
As the Trumps arrived via Marine One Wednesday morning, they were greeted by the Prince and Princess of Wales – William and Kate – and then by King Charles and Queen Camilla.
Britain’s Ministry of Defense described the ceremonial welcome as “unprecedented.”
The delegation was then taken on a carriage ride around the grounds of the castle. Trump and Charles rode in the gilded Irish Stage Coach. It’s the coach that Queen Elizabeth II used to travel to the State Opening of Parliament. The queen and first lady followed behind in the Scottish State Coach, which was built in 1830.
After the ride around the castle grounds, they went to the Quadrangle at the Castle to inspect the British Army Guard of Honor. The group of royals and American visitors then went inside for a private lunch.
The unprecedented nature of the visit is that second-term presidents don’t usually get state visits. Instead, they are invited for lunch or tea with the monarch. Former presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush were treated to the usual protocol.
President Donald Trump and Britain’s King Charles inspect the Guard of Honour at Windsor Castle. (Reuters)
“This is really special. This has never happened before. Unprecedented,” said UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said at the White House in February. “I think that just symbolises the strength of the relationship between us.”
British officials understand that Trump admires the royal family, so “if you have those assets, that opportunity, then why not absolutely make the most of it,” Matthew Doyle, a former communications director and adviser for Starmer, told CNN.
The president will travel on Thursday to Chequers, the prime minister’s country house in Buckinghamshire, where talks will begin. Agreements on “tech and trade” are expected to be discussed, Doyle said. Trump and Starmer will also meet with tech CEOs.
Doyle said Britain also wants to hear that Trump has a “plan to get Russia to the table,” adding that “Ukraine is clearly the biggest issue on the foreign agenda” for this meeting.
On Tuesday, four men were arrested for projecting large images and videos of Trump and sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein on the walls of a turret at Windsor Castle. On Wednesday, as Trump toured the grounds and visited with the king, a van with a similar image was being driven around the castle, with the words, “Welcome to the UK, Donald.” (UPI)
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